Gramps’s Legacy

Going through papers looking for the information needed by the VA for a pension for Grandma , I found these items in an old chest of my grandfather’s, things he collected and cherished.

Memorabilia from the Marines. Including all the letters related to his Distinguished Flying Cross. He was a Marine, an everyday, ordinary hero, manning up until he could no longer stand up.In physical therapy during the week before his death you could see him struggle, but he never complained.

His ukulele book. He taught himself to play the ukulele and brought it along on many vacations. We learned the songs with pauses for chord changes.:

I’m looking over a four leafed clover, That

I over-looked before.

One leaf is sunshine, the…

second is rain,

third is the roses that…

grow in the lane…

No need explaining, the one remaining is…

somebody I adore.

I’m looking over a…

four leafed clover that

I over-looked before.

A joke we had fun with. Can you figure it out?

MR DUCKS

MR KNOT

OSAR

CM WANGS

LIB

MR DUCKS

MR SNAKES

MR KNOT

OSAR

CM BDIS

LIB

MR SNAKES

MR FARMERS

MR KNOT

OSAR

CM MT POCKETS

LIB

MR FARMERS

MR MICE

MR KNOT

OSAR

CM EDBD FEETS

LIB

MR MICE

I don’t know how I want to be remembered. My brain seems to only be firing on a couple of cylinders right now, but when I saw the prompt, it made me think of Gramps.

I can almost prune an apple tree, due to his coaching. I would be up the ladder in the tree and I could tell when I should cut a branch off because his hands would twitch, as if he were using clippers.

I mostly find humor in things…and I sing “I’m looking over, a four leafed clover” with gusto, out of tune and with rests in all the wrong places. And I tend to stick with things…to a fault sometimes. Maybe, just a little bit, I am his legacy. And maybe what I wish for as a legacy is someone who remembers me with fondness, even though I am usually out of tune and it takes me a while to change chords.

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7 thoughts on “Gramps’s Legacy”

I remember the stories and magic shows – I always told Mom that he may not have been the father she wanted but he was the best Grandpa a kid could want. He will be remembered by those that he loved and who loved him.